Ford Ecosport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend Review

Ford India, a highly acclaimed passenger car maker in India, which is the fully owned subsidiary of the American auto giant Ford has introduced the all new Ford EcoSport compact SUV. It was one of the most awaited SUV to enter the Indian auto market since quite sometime. As soon as the company first unveiled this vehicle last year, it caught the attention of numerous SUV enthusiasts. The company has been teasing the SUV aficionados since many months and now it has finally introduced this vehicle in India. In fact, Ford EcoSport was expected to be launched at the starting of this year but the company postponed the launch event. It was launched with both petrol and diesel engine options. There are three engine trims available with Ford EcoSport, which will make it easy for buyers to choose according to their requirement and budget. The diesel version of this Ford EcoSport compact SUV is blessed with 1.5-litre engine that produces good performance and mileage. It is perhaps the most fuel efficient SUV in its own segment. Months of wait has now finally ended by the arrival of this compact SUV in the car market. The diesel version of the Ford EcoSport is made available in four trim levels out of which Ford EcoSport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend is the next in line variant to the base version. This vehicle has been equipped with some basic and standard features inside that would certainly return complete value for money.

Exteriors:

The exteriors of the Ford EcoSport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend diesel trim is much alike its base variant. However, it looks sporty and aggressive that makes it captivating in the first impression. If you just take a look at the all new Ford EcoSport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend trim, you can see that this SUV has got an extremely good looking body and exterior design. The front fascia of this SUV is fitted with an aggressive design headlight cluster and a small radiator grille that is affixed with a large logo of the company. The front radiator grille has been offered in Mid Grey color garnish. The frontage is further equipped with body colored bumper, which is integrated with a large air dam and black colored bumper claddings. The overall front fascia is very stylish and sporty, which indeed makes this SUV to look like a next generation model. The rear end of this SUV has got a unique design tail lamp cluster that is integrated with indicators. While the rear body colored bumper has been fitted with bumper claddings at the bottom. The side profile remains very sleek and simple. The wheel arches of the Ford Ecosport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend if fitted with 15 inch steel rims, which are covered with wheel covers. The exterior dimensions of this all new Ford EcoSport are quite appealing with a total length of 3999mm, which helped the company to keep its price in a very competitive range. The width and height of this SUV is at 1765mm and 1708mm respectively. It comes with an impressive ground clearance of 200mm as well.

Interiors:

The interior cabin section of the Ford Ecosport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend variant is spacious and looks very attractive. This SUV can accommodate at least five passengers inside, while offering great amount of storage space. The interior cabin is offered with dual-toned environment (Charcoal Black + Warm Neutral Grey), while the seats are offered with fabric upholstery. Although, this trim is just the next in line variant to the entry level trim, Ford EcoSport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend is offered with some decent set of features inside such as under passenger seat storage, driver seat height adjustment, retractable and removable rear package tray, illuminated vanity mirror for the front co-passenger, 60/40 foldable rear seats, driver's foot rest and several other such features . What really is impressive about this compact SUV is its decent interior space. It comes with a wheel base of 2520mm that assures roomy interior space. On the other side, there is a storage space of about 346 litres, which can be further extended to 705 litres.

Engine and Performance:

Ford has equipped the all new Ford EcoSport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend with a high performing diesel engine. It sports a 1.5-litre, 1498cc diesel engine that has the ability to churn out 89.18bhp at 3750rpm and makes 204Nm of torque at 2000 to 2750rpm. Its engine is further mated to an advanced, high performance five speed manual transmission gearbox that contributes its part in enhancing the fuel efficiency. The company claims that the engine of the Ford EcoSport is a high performance mill that certainly reduces the running cost of the vehicle.

Braking and Handling:

The all new Ford Ecosport 1.5 DV5 MT Trend variant comes with advanced braking and handling technology on which you can rely. The front wheel axle of this trim has been fitted with an advanced independent McPherson Strut type of suspension, which is incorporated with by coil spring and anti-roll bar mechanism. While the rear wheel axle is been equipped with Semi-independent twist beam type of suspension that is assisted by an advanced win gas and oil filled shock absorbers. Thus, occupants inside the vehicle will hardly experience any jerks. If it comes to the most important braking part, the front wheel has been offered with ventilated disc brake and the rear wheel has been incorporated with drum brakes. The braking mechanism of this SUV is further enhanced by incorporating an anti lock braking system that reduces the skids when sudden brakes are applied.

Safety Features:

This trim is not incorporated with a lot of safety features. However, some of the features like anti lock braking system , remote central locking, emergency brake hazard warning, engine immobilizer and few others have been offered inside this SUV.

Comfort Features:

There are some noticeable comfort and convenience features added inside this mid range trim. Its features include air conditioner (manual), power steering with steering mounted audio controls, telescopic steering wheel that is tilt adjustable, power windows , electrically adjustable ORVMs incorporated with indicators, advanced multimedia player with AM/FM player. Its music system also supports Bluetooth connectivity and USB/AUX-In support. There are a total of four speakers (two speakers at the front and two speakers at the rear), which produces high quality sound and enhances the music listening experience. There is no wonder that this all new Ford EcoSport is going create wonders for the company in terms of sales in India.

Pros: Next generation body design, great fuel efficiency, high performance engine.Cons: More features can be added, price should be more competitive.